Of Brothers and Circuses
by xPhoenixFlamex
Summary: Sometimes you just need someone. Someone to help you back up when you fall. Someone you can always lean back on. For Robin, that someone is his older brother Jason Todd, otherwise known as the Red Hood. Contains the after events of "Performance" and "Auld Acquaintance", with a bonus of the Team and the Outlaws. I own nothing. Older!Jason. Three-Shot. I don't own the cover image.
1. Chapter 1

**I don't own anything here. I was rewatching Batman: Under the Red Hood the other day and I was inspired. Jason's probably OOC...so sorry 'bout that. I may continue this one-shot if enough people like it. Oh well, we'll see. I hope you enjoy.**

Robin sighed as he sat down on the bench their compartment. M'gann and Superboy had gone to get the bioship, since they had hidden it out of range, and Roy and Artemis were off somewhere, most likely arguing about archery.

Robin was happy that the mission was a success, but now whenever he closed his eyes he imagined himself falling on the trapeze. He knew that moment would be burned into his mind forever. He thought he was going to die the same way his parents did. Him dying in that performance would have been death's way of getting revenge on the young boy for hesitating the night his parents were murdered. The night he became an orphan.

" _Me and Superboy have the bioship. We'll meet you guys at the rendezvous."_ M'gann's voice said over the link.

" _Copy that."_ Robin responded, making himself to sound cheery and upbeat.

" _We'll be there soon."_ Artemis grumbled, and it was clear Miss Martian had interrupted a standoff between the Team's resident archers.

He exited the compartment and the circus site. The rendezvous point was in a clearing on the edge of a nearby forest. He was alone, but that didn't bother the Boy Wonder. He could handle himself.

As he walked through the not-too-thick snow, he stared at the ground. He was still alert, if any dangers were to appear, due to years of training ingrained in him by Gotham's Dark Knight.

So that was why, when he heard the smallest of noises behind him, he froze. His hands had already been in his pockets, and now he fingered a birdarang that he had hidden there with his right hand and a smoke pellet with his left, prepared to turn on whoever was stalking him.

"Relax Goldie." He heard an all-too-familiar voice and he relaxed, letting go of the weapon and the pellet. "It's just me." Jason Todd told his younger brother.

He turned, "What are you doing here Jay? I haven't seen you in months. Not that that's surprising." he added that last part with a hint of resentment. He had been worried for his brother, despite the fact that he was Red Hood, a villain and he was Robin, a hero.

Jason grinned and walked closer, "Aww, Dickie-Bird got an attitude while I was away. How cute."

"Jay..." Dick looked at his older brother, telling him to answer his question.

The older man sighed, "I heard about what happened. I'm not going to be all damn mushy and everything, but... I wanted to see if you were okay."

Dick paused. That was not what he expected his brother to say. "I thought I was gonna die." He admitted quietly, "I thought I was gonna die like my parents did. The same performance for the same people."

"Dick, you didn't die that night. You lived. This time, this mission, you didn't die either. Someday, we're all gonna die. But I'll be damned if you die while up in the air." Jason said to the younger, smaller boy, "You're a Bat, you're Robin. You fly."

Robin smiled mischievously, "I thought you weren't going to be so mushy, Jay. Hanging out with Kory too much?"

Jason smacked him on the back the head, "I swear Goldie that I will beat you so hard if you ever say I'm mushy." he growled.

The thirteen year old put his hands up in surrender, "I see you lost your sense of humor. You're not whelmed, Jay, not whelmed at all."

"I see you lost your language skills. You still butcher the English language the best." He retorted. "Let's see: Chievious, tained, and now whelmed?"

Before Robin could explain how he _perfected_ \- not butchered, thank you very much - the English language, he heard a voice in his head..

 _"Robin where are you? Are you in trouble?"_ M'gann's concerned voice flooded into his mind and he could sense her worry.

 _"I'm fine M'gann. I just..."_ He looked at the outlaw, not quite knowing how to explain his predicament. Worried older siblings that happen to be once-dead anti-heroes? Not an easy thing to cover for. _"I'll be there soon, 'kay?"_

 _"Robin-"_ he blocked out M'gann's telepathy and turned back to his brother. "The Team's waiting for me." He tapped his head, "Telepathic link."

The other boy shook his head slightly, "Just when I thought you couldn't get anymore messed up up there." He backed away from the Boy Wonder. "Say hi to Arrowhead, Goldie. And don't make me have to tell Bats what happened here. I don't want to talk to him." His tone grew cold when he mentioned Batman, and Robin was slightly saddened at the reminder of the boy who was his brother and the man who was his father's (both in everything but blood) relationship, but he didn't show it.

"I will." He promised, and Red Hood vanished into the night.

Now more relaxed after talking with his brother, Robin finally made it to the rendezvous point where an anxious Team was waiting for him.

"Robin!" Artemis called, spotting the boy first. He held a hand up in greeting as moved towards the others.

"You guys are so not feeling the aster." He mused, noticing their tense stances.

"Well excuse us if we've been-" Red Arrow began to rant, catching that comment, before Robin interrupted him.

"Hood says hi." He said to the boy, successfully stopping him. The archer was caught off guard for several seconds before he sighed.

"I should've known he would be here." He muttered in defeat before stepping inside the bioship, to the Team's confusion.

"Who's Hood?" Superboy asked bluntly, slightly perplexed by the turn of events. Robin adopted a familiar mischievous smirk.

"Hood's my big brother." He said casually, before jumping into the safety of the bioship.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey all! So I decided to add in a second part because you guys wanted more. I honestly didn't expect anyone to really like this, so I was overjoyed when I saw that people actually liked something I wrote. This takes place just after Auld Acquaintance.**

 **I will do one more chapter, but please tell me if you want Jason as a civilian or as Red Hood meet the Team, and whether or not Roy and Kory should appear as Outlaws with him.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 **[Warning: Jason has a colorful vocabulary.]**

* * *

Jason Todd growled when he awoke to a knock on his door. He got out bed and made his way to the door, fully ready to shoot whoever woke him up. _The one night I don't go out. It's New Year's Eve, I thought, I'll get some sleep while everyone else stays up._ He even grabbed a handgun from his bedside table and hid it in his jacket for good measure. _I swear if this is some idiot who wants to sell me something..._

So he was surprised, to say the least, when he opened the door to reveal a tired and bruised Dick Grayson dressed as Robin slumped against the doorframe.

"Dick?" He asked in disbelief. The young boy had a nasty bruise underneath his jaw on the right side, and was clutching his stomach and wincing, a sign that he had broken or bruised ribs.

"H-hey Jay." He said softly, as if it hurt to talk (and it probably did, considering the ribs). "C-can I come in?"

Jason opened the door more to let his brother in, "What happened?" He demanded as the boy wonder carefully sat on his couch, exhaustion and pain showing in every movement. He would _definitely_ pay a visit for whoever was responsible for this. No one hurt his brother.

"Vandal Savage." He murmured, "He...took control of the L-league. Mind control. We had to free them." He looked up at his brother, "I had to fight Bruce."

Anger surged through Jason at his words, both towards the Dark Knight and Savage. _Damn it Bruce!_ He thought, _I get it, you messed up with me. But with Dick? With the Golden Boy? The boy who follows your every command? You couldn't be a father to him without screwing up?!_

"Is that how...?" Jason trailed off, somehow managing to contain his anger so as not to storm out of the apartment right then and there to grill his ex-adoptive father and kill Savage. He gestured to the thirteen year old's bruise. The boy's hand involuntarily moved up to it and touched it, making him wince.

"Yeah." He admitted, so quiet Jason could barely hear. "I didn't want-" he swallowed painfully, "I didn't want him to know. I left before the bruise formed or anyone could see." He said as the Red Hood went to get an ice pack from his freezer. He handed it to Dick, who placed it gingerly under his jaw. Jason could see that even that movement was filled with exhaustion.

"Your ribs?" Jason asked, trying to make his voice emotionless. The boy was virtually dead on his feet, and shouldn't have to deal with him verbally beating up his adoptive father. Well, not yet at least.

"Two are broken, one is bruised." He admitted, and Jason sent a curse under his breath, this one sent toward Vandal Savage.

Jason bent over to help the acrobat bandage his ribs, before straightening up. "Anything else?" He asked softly, his mind full of ways to kill Savage and Bruce.

"My left shoulder was dislocated but I set it again." Jason forced himself to nod and not barge out of the room to shoot both Bruce and Savage and went to get a sling he had (injuries were inevitable in his line of work, so he was always prepared). He gently helped Dick into the sling, but the boy still winced slightly.

"You can sleep here tonight." He told his younger brother who nodded, already half-asleep. He moved so he was lying down and not just sitting on the couch, mumbled out a "Th-thanks Jay." and immediately passed out, drained physically, mentally, and emotionally. It had been a long night.

Jason sighed at the sight of his bruised and battered brother on the couch. Someone had hell to pay.

He silently went into his room and took out his cell, calling Bruce Wayne, Gotham's _hero_ , to give him a piece of his mind.

 _"Hello?"_ He heard a familiar gruff voice pick up. Jason hesitated before responding to one of the people he hated the most. Him and the Joker, of course, were at the top of the list.

"Bruce." He said, his voice emotionless, not betraying his true emotions just yet. "It's Jason."

 _"Jason."_ The man was surprised, he knew, but it didn't show in his tone. _"Why are you calling?"_ He asked impatiently, although Jason could hear the worry and exhaustion in his voice.

Jason cast a glance at the figure on the couch, " _Dick_ just showed up at my door."

 _"He's with you?"_ Bruce was relieved, _"Thank God. I-"_

"Don't pretend like you give a shit about him." He hissed, cutting off the other man. "When he showed up, he looked like hell. He's passed out on the couch of pure exhaustion. But he managed to tell me that _you_ did this." He paused in his rant, "How could you do that Bruce?"

 _"Vandal Sav-"_ The billionaire tried to explain, but was interrupted yet again.

"Dick has one of the worst damn bruises I've ever seen, two broken ribs, a bruised rib, and a dislocated shoulder. I don't think _Vandal Savage_ did that to him!" Jason nearly yelled, only refraining to do so because of the young boy on the couch.

There was a strained pause, then, _"I know. It's my fault. I...I'm so sorry that-"_

"Sorry that you couldn't protect him from yourself? I'm detecting a pattern here. I understand _me_ , Bruce, but _Dick_?" Jason said the boy's name in a whisper, casting another glance at the figure on the couch. "The boy who did everything you wanted and more? You did this to _him_?"

Silence.

Jason sighed rubbing his face. He was tired too. "I don't think he should walk on his own. I'll...I'll drop him off at the Gotham Zeta tube at about noon tomorrow. He needs sleep. He's also in his Robin costume, so bringing him straight to the manor isn't an option."

 _"You're in the Zeta system."_ Bruce informed Jason, who felt another spike of anger at his ex-mentor's words.

"You're trying to make peace with me, now? After you did this? That's a new fucking low. Tomorrow. Noon. Batcave Zeta beam. Try to be there for him for once." He spat into the receiver before snapping his cell shut.

 _Damn you, Bruce. Go to hell._ Jason thought angrily as he checked that Dick would be good for the night. When it was clear that he was fine and wouldn't roll over on his ribs while he slept, Jason went back into his room.

He didn't think he could fall back asleep tonight, so he decided to vent his anger as the Red Hood. He wouldn't kill anyone, because he knew Dick would be very upset if he found out that Jason killed because of him. Or killed anyone at all, for that matter. Bruce would be upset as well, but he didn't give a damn about that man right now.

No, killing was off the table.

Maiming and seriously hurting though, were game.

The villains would soon get the memo, he'd make sure of it.

You don't mess with Bats.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here it is, the long awaited finale to this three-shot. There's no real action and in all honesty I don't really like it because I'm bad with Raquel's character, as well as Koriand'r's Outlaw persona. I honestly never read the Outlaws, so I kept her speaking time at a minimum.**

 **Also, since I procrastinated finishing this for a _long_ time, I ended up using a website called "Writers Block" where it literally makes it so you can't exit out of the program until you write a certain amount of words or if you write for a certain amount of time. It's a really cool website. If there are any formatting errors, that's because I transferred this chapter from there onto a Google Doc where I edited it, before moving it to here. So, sorry about that!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

It wasn't until months later that Dick saw Jason.

It wasn't the longest that Dick had gone without seeing his pseudo-brother, but it was quite a while. The only relief was that someone would surely come out and brag if they managed to kill the Red Hood, or, if he died or got seriously injured by some other means, Kory or Roy would be sure to inform him and/or Bruce.

Not to mention, Jason had sent him a card for his birthday.

It was a warm May morning, and the sun was smiling down on Happy Harbor. He and the rest of the Team were enjoying a relaxing day off by walking around town. An hour prior, M'gann, Zatanna, and Raquel dragged Artemis so that they could have a few hours of 'girl time', something that none of the boys could argue to.

Dick had been watching, smirking, as Wally tried to explain a new video game console to Conner and Kaldur when he felt the mental link activate.

 _"There's something going on."_ M'gann reported, her voice serious but Dick could hear a bit of confusion. _"There are three people chasing this guy. We are following."_

 _"Received. Where are you currently?"_ Kaldur straightened up and the four of them left the store quickly.

 _"We are heading southeast, and we just passed the fountain in the center of the plaza."_ Artemis said quickly, _"One of the people chasing the guy looks familiar. He's a young male, caucasian, wearing a hat and sunglasses to disguise his features. Even so, I would bet I've seen him before."_

 _"What do the other two people look like?_ _And the man they are following?"_ Dick asked curiously as he, Conner, Kaldur, and Wally weaved through the crowd.

 _"We are turning left down Justin's Way."_ M'gann reported quickly. _"And I can't quite see them, but I think one of the people chasing the man is a woman."_

"This way, I know a shortcut." Dick called to the others, who followed him as he quickly took a left down an alley, before the words sunk in.

Two men. One woman.

One familiar.

 _Could it be?_

 _"They caught the man in an alley just east of the intersection of Justin and Caron. What should we do?"_ Zatanna asked, but before she could get a reply she added, _"Nevermind, they see us."_

 _"Do not try to start a fight. This might just be a misunderstanding."_ Kaldur said firmly, as the four boys took a right turn.

There was a brief pause _, "One of the people following the man was Roy."_ Artemis informed them, obviously surprised herself.

 _"What?"_ Wally burst out.

 _It's them._ Dick thought to himself.

 _"I thought he was MIA."_ Conner said, confused.

 _"He is."_ Wally told him. _"Since New Year's Day. He just left. No one knew where he went."_

 _"He's with a woman and a man, both a bit older than any of us physically. The woman has long, ombre red hair, green eyes, and skin that is almost an orange color. The man has black hair with a streak of white, tanned caucasian skin, and sunglasses."_ M'gann reported.

Dick took a final turn to see Roy, Kory, and Jason there as well as the girls. The man they had apparently been chasing was unconscious at Kory's feet, and Jason was telling Roy to tell the Team off.

"Roy!" Wally said happily, using a short burst of speed so he was right in front of the archer, "Where have you _been_?"

"Busy." Roy said curtly, in an almost annoyed tone. Dick could tell that he was happy to see them, even if the ginger archer would never say those words out loud.

"Listen, West, we are working here." Jason said to Wally, "So, if you could all just go, that would be nice."

"There is no need to be rude." Kaldur said calmly. "We are merely curious."

"Ignore him, he probably hasn't had his coffee yet." Dick said mischievously, causing all eyes to go to him.

Kory's eyes lit up when she saw him. "Robin!" She cried happily, moving over to him to give him a tight hug, that Dick would have sworn almost bruised his ribs.

"It's nice to see you too." He managed to say in reply, albeit breathless, before she released him from the nearly bone crushing hug.

"You know these people?" Raquel asked, confusion clear on her face.

"Unfortunately, we do know the Golden Boy here." Jason said, mock annoyed. Dick gave him a large grin.

"Does B know you're here?" Dick asked Jason, although he could probably guess the right answer.

Jason let out a laugh, "I didn't tell him, if that's what you're asking. Although he has probably been tracking me the second we got back to the States."

"Um, excuse me, but can someone please tell us what the heck is going on?" Wally burst out suddenly, looking pointedly at Robin.

"For once, I agree with Baywatch over here." Artemis said. "I don't understand - how do you know these people?"

"These are just some friends of mine, who are passing through for work." Dick dismissed their question, and turned back to Jason. "I'll tell B I saw you in a few days. Will that be long enough?"

"If everything goes to plan, we are going to go tomorrow." Roy said.

Dick gave Jason a look, one that said in what Wally dubbed as 'Bat-Language', which was merely reading the other person's body language and using logic. _You're tracking down Vandal._

Jason sighed, and gave a small nod. _Yeah._

Dick bit his lip, before looking at him questioningly and tilting his head slightly. _Are you going to kill him?_

Jason looked away, his face or body language giving away nothing. It was clear that not even Jason knew what would happen if he ever got the best of Vandal Savage.

Dick took a deep breath, before he turned. " _Let's go guys. They are fine - friends of mine from the cape community. They are just doing a job."_

 _"Would you like to explain what just happened?"_ Zatanna asked.

 _"I will, back at the Cave."_ He promised, but inwardly he had no clue on how he would explain Jason Todd to the Team.

* * *

"So, who are they?" Artemis was the first to ask him back at the Cave.

"The girl was Koriand'r." He said back.

"Is she an alien?" M'gann asked, surprised. From the looks on the others' faces, they were too.

He nodded, "From a planet called Tameran. She's not a shapeshifter. She came to Earth a few years ago. I met her soon after and we became fast friends."

"And the guy?" Conner asked the question Dick had been expecting, but dreading.

Dick paused for a few moments, "He was Batman's first partner."

A few shocked intakes of air. Honestly, Dick expected that.

"Batman has had another partner?" Zatanna asked.

"Yeah. He was never a big spotlight person, and preferred to stay out of the media's eye. I remember meeting him before I became Robin. We were like brothers. He taught me a few tricks." He replied truthfully.

"What happened?" Raquel asked curiously.

"Life." _More like death_. "He couldn't be partners with Batman any longer and disappeared for a few years before returning. I see him now and then. He and Batman don't really get along anymore." _That's an understatement_. Dick mentally remarked.

"Why were they with Roy?" Kaldur asked him.

"I know they met a while back, after he reappeared. They are friends in a sense and usually have mutual goals so they work together now and then." Dick answered vaguely.

"Why haven't we heard of these people before?" Wally asked, looking at him pointedly as if saying _'Why didn't you tell me this earlier?'_

"They are covert - like us, but a bit better on the 'covert' part." He said humorously, causing a few chuckles.

"That is not our best field." Kaldur agreed, a smile on his face. "But we get the job done."

"Hey," Dick held out his hands in surrender, "No complaints from me." He said.

"So," Wally drawled, "Are there any _other_ top secret members of the Batclan you and Bats have been keeping a secret?"

Dick thought for a moment. "Well, there are Batgirl and Agent A." He admitted.

"Dude! I was _joking_!" Wally cried, throwing his hands up into the air, "How many of you Bats are there?!"

Dick had snuck up behind him while everyone was focused on his brief moment of drama, and adopted a low tone, "I would tell you, but then I'd have to kill you." He murmured.

He then let out a cackle and disappeared into the shadows before anyone could see.

He could see Wally turn to Artemis (who was the closest) and say, "I honestly can't tell if he was joking then or not. Do you think there really is a Batgirl?"

Dick let out another one of his famous high-pitched cackles.

"No, _really_ , Rob. Is there?"

* * *

 **And there is the very anticlimactic ending to Of Brothers and Circuses! I have like four other versions of this sitting on my computer. In one I tried to write a scene where the Outlaws beat up Vandal, but the OOCness was way to high since I have absolutely no idea how to write Vandal's character or how to write fight scenes.**

 **Thanks for reading this story!**

 **I hope you enjoyed!**


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